After being closed for more than half a year for renovation, Rockbund Art Museum will present a fresh look to visitors in October 2011. The first exhibition will be Q Confucius, asolo exhibition by world renowned artist ZHANG Huan. The artist will present a series of thoughts on art and society in theQ Confucius exhibition with all the works tailored for RAM space and the cultural environment of the museum. The show has been planed with the collaboration between the museum and the artist for about two years.

The basic concept ofQ Confucius originated from a series of questions ZHANG Huan pondered over: faced with rapid economic and societal changes and energy and climate challenges, how can we achieve sustainable development? What responsibilities come along with China’s rise in international importance? Where is the sense of spiritual belonging for contemporary Chinese? These questions seem massive and unrelated, but actually they are inherently connected by inescapable bonds. The artist hopes to explore the inner structure of the questions through large sculptures, ash paintings and installation works tailored for this exhibition, providing a unique way of observation and thinking in the context of contemporary art. Just as in RAM’s previous exhibitions last year, all the works of the artist are custom-made for the art museum’s space, and strive to correspond with the unique architectural environment and historical and cultural background of the Bund district. The exhibitions are not confined to the physical space of the museum, but are integrated within the surrounding neighborhood to promote direct communication and interaction with the audience, thereby carrying out the concept of “Museum without Walls: Art and Life”.

May 4 2010 marked the official opening of RAM to the public, and three major exhibitions have been held since then, each highly original and full of academic and social significance, including Cai Guo-Qiang : Peasant Da Vincis, 2010 Zeng Fanzhi, and BY DAY BY NIGHT or Some Special Things a Museum Can Do. The art museum has organized more than 100 academic and educational activities for the public, including lectures, seminars, performances and workshops, which have been well received by various circles of society who actively participated. In order to protect the museum’s historical architecture and provide better conditions for exhibitions and visitor service, Rockbund Art Museum has been closed since January for Phase 2 renovation and improvements. During the closing period, educational programs were held regularly in every weekend.